Poorerthanyou.com: not your typical financial advice page

I consider myself organized and financially savvy. So the idea of wandering around online, looking for financial advice, never crossed my mind. But as a suggestion for a school assignment, I was directed to poorerthanyou.com, and I must say I’m impressed. The author of the site is 22-year-old college graduate Stephanie. She started out as a film student who was taking on the job of paying her own way through college, something I can totally relate to. Her struggles to stay in school and finish her degree are the inspiration for her blogs. In Stephanie’s own words, the website is a “blend of personal stories and articles” and “you get the benefit of learning from Stephanie’s mistakes.”

So, Stephanie’s motivation to start a site with financial information was not due to her employment aspirations, but rather her own experiences. She says in her bio that she reads an “insane amount of financial literature” every day, and that gives her the background information she needs. But in the end, her blogs are about her own spending habits, savings accounts, and financial goals. Because of this, her blogs are conversational and easy for everyone to understand. Her language is simple and relates to her target audience of college students and 20-something independents.

The website itself is simple. There is a directory on the left-hand side to her older blogs. And down the center of the page are her most current listings (up to about one month old). With each posting there are occasional pictures or graphs, to make the article a bit more interesting. But the simplicity is the best part. It’s just a girl, typing out her thoughts, for the world to enjoy.

Some of her most recent blogs include: coupon usage, where to make money online, her personal “savings snowball,” and “job hunting in the recession.” The last one is my personal favorite. It’s targeted at 19 to 24-year-old recent college graduates. It talks about how difficult the job market is, since employers are pickier and more selective in their hiring process. Who wants a recent college graduate when you could get a seasoned professional? For more information, Stephanie directs her readers to a show called, “A Slow Start for Young Workers,” which they can stream through a provided link. It's very interesting and very relevant.

Overall, I give her kudos. She’s providing helpful information to her peers who might find themselves in similar situations. Could I ever imagine writing a blog like this? Probably not. It takes an incredible amount of commitment and humility to make this happen. And in the three years she’s been maintaining this site, she had a peak of 1,496 subscribers and over made over 400 posts. You go girl.

Good morning, would you like some sex with your coffee?

Grandparents all over the country are turning their heads in shame. They’re appalled at the blatant displays of sexuality overwhelming every corner of the media. And quite frankly, so am I.

When mass media began to take over, and every living room was equipped with a television or radio, programming was safe for the entire family to enjoy. Shows like Ozzie & Harriet, Lassie, and I Love Lucy, reinforced conservative, family values. Pictures of scantily clad women were reserved for lingerie ads in adult magazines. And dressing like a prostitute usually meant you were one.



But, 60 years later…how things have changed! I am endlessly shocked at the ‘in-your-face’ sexuality of teens and pre-teens today. Even ten years ago, when I was in high school, things were not nearly as bad as the current crisis. First of all, the pregnancy pact…what is that all about?!? As if teenage pregnancy is a “cool” and “socially acceptable” thing to do! And “sexting”- my goodness! I heard a teenage girl on The Tyra Banks Show talk about how she needs to send naked and provocative pictures of herself to boys in order to get any attention. What happened to getting attention by being mysterious or intellectual? Or what happened to waiting until you’re grown and in a committed relationship to start a family? Technology is giving teenagers access to adult material WAY before they’re ready to see it. And television programming geared toward young adults is dripping in sexually-charged content. This is a huge problem, and at the rate we’re going, our grandchildren will be getting their morning pornography before catching the bus to school.

Unfortunately, it is not the media’s fault. It is the fault of the ever-hungry consumer. Media outlets are only trying to market an in-demand product: sex. But it doesn’t make it right. There is a definite line that can be crossed- and it has been. The following are ads for Gossip Girl on CW. In my opinion, the network should be ashamed of the critics’ comments. But instead, they’re using them as a marketing tool.





This is where I draw the line between right and unethical. Instead of giving in to the demands of confused, sexualized teenagers, the modern media should take a cue from the previous generations. I think our grandparents had it right when they let a woman’s appeal come from her home cooking and her innocent smile. And being “sexy” was reserved for the bedroom. It might be too late to rewind to that extent, but something needs to be done. I recommend family-friendly programming on basic cable stations. And shows of a more adult nature can be seen on pay channels or on DVD. Then after the television networks take responsibility for their roles, parents can do the same. At some point we need to take responsibility for our own actions. And just because the media is feeding us sex on a plate, doesn’t mean we need to buy it.